DETROIT – Listen up, let me tell you a story:
We travel back in time to the Tudor era when King Henry VIII ruled England. But instead of castles and lutes, we’re greeted with dramatic concert lighting, a four-piece all-female band and six pop stars.
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Are we at Little Caesars Arena to watch the latest chart-topping girl group?
No. We’re at Fisher Theatre watching Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical SIX.
SIX is the clever, one-act retelling of Henry VIII’s six wives created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Performed as a glittering pop concert, the six queens battle it out The Voice-style to see who had it worst with Henry.
Along with several group numbers, each queen gets her time to shine through solo songs that brilliantly explain her story. Each one gets her own musical style: Catherine of Aragon inspired by Beyoncé, Jane Seymour by Adele. The songs match the overall tone of their lives, giving each queen a very distinct pop personality.
University of Michigan alum Zan Berube, as the playful Anne Boleyn, is perfectly spunky and keeps the energy up through the entire show. Terica Marie as Anna of Cleves really shows off her fire and attitude in “Get Down.” Gerianne Pérez, Aline Mayagoitia and Sydney Parra as Aragon, Howard and Parr, respectively, deliver rockstar performances.
Jane Seymour, played by a brilliant Amina Faye, belts the house down with her solo. The emotion she brings out for every lyric is so carefully placed that when she goes off on her riffs at the end of “Heart of Stone,” you feel the years of pain in her voice.
What makes the show even more joyful to watch is how much fun the queens look like they’re having on stage. Even with Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s complex choreography, the women are sharing knowing glances with each other, feeding off the energy of both themselves and the audience.
There are no breaks for any of the queens on stage. They sing, dance and act for 80 nonstop minutes. Even during solos, the queens are all part of the choreography.
Emma Bailey’s set design creatively blends modern pop show aesthetics with Renaissance touches. While Tim Deiling’s precise lighting is sleekly contemporary, Deiling and Bailey create all types of inventive images, like churches and crosses, through the LED lights sprinkled all over the stage.
Even though the look and feel of the show is more rock show than Sondheim, there is still incredible emotion and storytelling through the songs. Marlow and Moss’ book hilariously guide us through the relationships between each queen and the trauma they experience with Henry.
SIX is pure pop perfection: oozing with witty lyrics, tightly choreographed dance moves and sensational vocals. If you want to see what a Broadway show could be, this is it. Don’t wait to see SIX because, if you’re like me and others who saw it, you will probably want to see it again before it leaves Fisher Theatre after June 11.
SIX is now playing at Fisher Theatre through June 11. For showtimes and tickets, visit BroadwayinDetroit.com.